Atheists target presidential candidates' faith with billboards

Charlotte
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An atheist group is targeting the US presidential candidates' faiths in billboards rented in Charlotte, North Carolina ahead of next month's Democratic National Convention.

American Atheists, which bills itself as "the premier organization laboring for the civil liberties of atheists and the total, absolute separation of government and religion," is sponsoring the billboards at a cost of $15,000.

David Silverman, president of the group, said in a press release that the ads are intended to "expose the foolishness of religion in the political landscape."

"Our political system is rife with religion and it depends too much on religion and not enough on substance," Silverman told CNN. "Religion is silly and religion has components that are inherently divisive," he added. "There is no place for any of that in the political system."

One billboard targets Christianity, showing an image of Jesus Christ on a piece of toast with the caption "Sadistic God; Useless Savior, 30,000+ Versions of 'Truth,' Promotes Hate, Calls it 'Love.'"

CNN reports that this isn't American Atheists' first foray into controversial advertising. Earlier this year, the group paid for ads in Jewish and Muslim neighborhoods in the New York metropolitan area. The Hebrew and Arabic billboards said, "You know it's a myth, and you have a choice."